The mother-in-law of the Granby girl will have to serve 13 years in prison before being eligible for a parole application. The judge ruled after an emotional day on Friday, when three people addressed the court: the victim’s biological mother, her grandmother and her aunt.
“The behavior of the accused is beyond comprehension,” said Judge Louis Dionne before rendering his decision. The method used to correct [la victime] that day remains completely incomprehensible, unexplained, inexplicable. The crime is senseless and is a heinous act when you think about what the victim may have gone through during all these hours ”.
The 38-year-old mother-in-law admitted to putting duct tape on the seven-year-old when she was already wrapped in several layers of sticky paper. Last week, a jury found her guilty of second degree murder and forcible confinement. She is thus sentenced to life imprisonment.
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE COURT
The pile of duct tape in which the little victim was rolled up. Some witnesses described this piece as a “shell” or even a “mummy”.
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE COURT
Before being wrapped in duct tape, the girl was dressed in an adult shirt with the sleeves tied at the back. It looks like a “straitjacket”, some witnesses said during the trial.
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE COURT
To prevent the girl from trying to escape, furniture was erected in front of the windows of her bedroom.
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On Friday morning, the Crown suggested she serve 15 to 18 years in prison before being eligible to apply for parole. The defense proposed that she be eligible after 10 years.
The protection of children is one of the most fundamental values of Canadian society.
Judge Louis Dionne
To arrive at his decision, the judge assessed that the stepmother represented a low risk of recurrence. He stressed that the latter still has the support of her family as evidenced by six letters sent to her by relatives in the morning. The judge also imposed four years of imprisonment on the count of kidnapping.
“The wound is still alive”
Before lawyers plead the sentence, the girl’s biological mother spoke publicly for the first time since the start of the trial. She explained to Judge Louis Dionne the repercussions of her daughter’s death on her life. She also personally delivered a letter that she wrote to the mother-in-law.
PHOTO PROVIDED
The girl from Granby, when she was two and a half years old.
“You don’t expect to give birth to a child only to lose it in a tragedy like this,” said the woman who had four other daughters after the birth of the victim and her little brother. “The wound is still alive and it is still so painful,” she added.
The 30-year-old feels like she is “going in circles” since the death of her daughter. She claims to have seen the victim’s younger brother again, who was in the house when her sister was wrapped in duct tape and was found unconscious. But their encounters stirred too many emotions and flashbacks difficult, she said.
“I can’t afford to be happy. I do not allow myself. As soon as my daughter left, I got lost and never found myself. I no longer have joy, ”said the woman who had her voice faltering at times.
“At least right now she’s not in pain anymore. This is the phrase I repeat to myself every day, every morning when I wake up and every night when I have insomnia. ”
A little girl full of life
The girl’s paternal grandmother also read a poignant letter in court. Recall that his son, the father of the victim, pleaded guilty to a charge of forcible confinement this week. He thus avoids holding a trial in January. Sentencing observations will take place on January 7.
“It is not the tragedy of a single child and a single family, but it is the tragedy of all of Quebec”, underlined the woman who had custody of the girl until she was 3 years old. and half.
The oldest said she was marked by the image of her granddaughter, in bad shape in her hospital bed, a few hours before her death. “A lively, mischievous, full of life, plump little girl to a skeletal, skinny little girl like that can’t be. It hits, ”she read.
The grandmother had a thought for the cousins of the victim who have many questions about her death and for her four little sisters who will never know her. ” [Je] also thinks of his little brother who has seen and heard everything. He went through a tremendous trauma. It will remain marked for life, ”she added.
” Yes [l’accusée] had had enough and didn’t want it anymore, why didn’t they agree to give it back to me as I asked in court? Why so hard on this child? “, She also questioned.
Crown Attorney Me Claude Robitaille also read a letter from the victim’s aunt who was not present at the Trois-Rivières courthouse for observations on the sentence. “The pain does not decrease and even over time there are many unanswered questions. Tell yourself that the whole population does not understand. Imagine the family for us, ”she wrote.